Carolina Kale

[1] I still had some leftover kale from last week’s CSA delivery. With the recent salmonella outbreak with tomatoes[2], I was thrilled to find juicy tomatoes available today. Brought in by local organic farms, these tomatoes were available at a little farmers market a block from where I work. With spring onions also from the CSA delivery in hand and another onion I bought last week at the farmers market, I found the perfect recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Recipes[3]. (Someday I’ll make it up to the restaurant[4].)

As always, my notes are in italics.

Carolina Kale
Moosewood Restaurant: Low-Fat Recipes
Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds kale
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes and their juice or 3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes – I used two fresh tomatoes1 cup minced onions – I mixed in some spring onions with a white onion I picked up at the farmers market1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced – I used a little more than a teaspoon of jarred chopped garlic1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

Wash the greens. Remove the large stems and any discolored leaves. Stack the leaves and slice them crosswise into 1/8-inch stips.

[5]

[6]

Combine tomatoes, onions, cumin, garlic, Tabasco, and salt in a saucepan, cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

[7]

[8]

Add the greens, cover, and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the greens are tender. (If neccesary, add a little water during cooking to maintain liquid in the bottom of the pan.) – I did not need to add any water. I also added a little more Tabasco at this point.

[9]

Add pepper to taste and serve.

Served hot, this dish is a light, yet filling, meal. It pairs well with whole wheat pasta and had a nice “zing” to it. The actual cooking and preparation time went quite fast (it would have been faster if I didn’t stop and take pictures, of course!)